“Julzzallure is not just a brand. It’s a declaration of individuality.”
This is a quote from Fashion Week Online, following the appearance of Julzzallure, a brand owned by Saint Lucian Julietta Raoul, after she left tongues wagging with her signature hats during the production Flying Solo NYC at the recent Paris Fashion Week.
“With its daring approach to fashion and accessories, the label merges striking creativity with sleek sophistication, creating pieces that speak louder than words. Every design feels like a celebration of personal power, transforming the everyday into a runway moment,” Fashion Week Online wrote.
In a recent interview with St. Lucia Times, Raoul, who now resides in Canada, took us back to her humble beginnings growing up in Morne Du Don, Castries, to graduating from the Entrepot Secondary School, migrating to Canada and now gracing international runways.
The focus of her love for fashion centres on the head: hair and hats to be precise.
“I have always been doing hair while growing up in Saint Lucia. Since I was about eight years old I started doing hair and it became my passion. I think it pretty much saved my life as it kept me out of a lot of trouble,” Raoul disclosed.
Her interests in tresses and textures began blooming when she started working at the Windjammer Hotel in 1990.
“One day one of the clients there was referred to me by another staff member who told her I did hair [and] her husband was looking for someone to do her hair.
“Long story short, we became friends over the course of two years. When they were leaving for Canada she said she needed a nanny for the kids and offered me the opportunity to come to Canada,” she said.
Raoul left Saint Lucia for Canada in December of 1992.
“When I got to Canada I started going to people’s homes to do their hair and then one day a professional said that he recognised I had skills and asked that he teach me how to become a professional too,” she recalled.
She gladly took up the offer and got licensed in Alberta, and eventually received additional certification in Atlanta. It allowed Raoul to quickly grow her hair business, expanding to include a full team. She, however, continued to find time to enjoy a pastime of hers, which was writing, and was later approached to publish her work.
“I have since published four books, one of which was on how hard it was building a business, because I lost my first one after four years, and this one is now 13 years.
“And then I started just really trying to figure out, you know, what is it I wanted to do next, why the constant burning desire for more. I had just gone back to school for a bit, because my highest education was high school from Saint Lucia and then I realised that it was not just hair that I was good at.”
At that point Raoul put her leadership skills into practice and started teaching afro texture care to licensed hair stylists in Alberta.
She was later recognised by the government in the province as one of the two leading salons for Afro textured hair and her contribution to the community. She also created the first afro textured mannequins there.
Still having what seemed like an unquenchable desire, Raoul said she started playing around with fabrics, creating different things.
“Because I can knit, cross stitch, crochet, and all that stuff, and that’s how we started. The hat business started a year ago,” she disclosed.
In September 2024 she started producing hats and fascinators. One of her biggest breakthroughs came after she responded to an online request for designers to submit pictures of their work.
“They then responded and asked that I send them designs which I sent, and two weeks later I got a reply saying ‘Congratulations, you are going to be in the lineup for New York Fashion Week’. It was unbelievable,” Raoul said.
However, due to US/Canada border uncertainties and several other challenges at the time, she did not take up the offer.
“But they still called me after that, saying they would trade me up for Milan and that was a surprise and so, I ended up doing Milan and Paris Fashion Week this year.”
Despite having to overcome several obstacles, Raoul described Milan and Paris as great experiences.
“It was demanding, yes, because you get there, there’s a meeting the following day, all day fitting in, and the following day is the show, and that could put your head in a different, more professional space because you realise the demand is all on you.
“I have to prove to the other designers that what I’m bringing is of a good quality, that my product complements their brands, so I don’t have time for imposter syndrome scenarios.”
In Milan she worked with four designers, showcasing 12 of her pieces, while in Paris she displayed 18 pieces.
“It was, actually, really great!” she replied when asked about the response she received.
“Surprisingly great, especially for Paris, because there was a bigger crowd, a lot more shows and it was a really great reception.”
Coming out of these events, the hard-working entrepreneur has not been sitting on her laurels. She says she is currently in production developing a line of hair products including shampoos, conditioners and serums.
“We have also formulated another study for two products that we’re working on and I have also been invited to New York and back to Milan and Paris and hopefully London,” Raoul revealed.
She says while these are exciting opportunities, she is just as excited at the prospect of showcasing her work in her homeland.
“I am working on it right now, because my home needs to experience what I have to offer. I need to definitely share my talent there, because that’s where it all started and it’s one of the things I’ve been looking forward to, so I will be there a lot sooner than you think,” Raoul promised.
She had these words of advice to young creatives and entrepreneurs.
“I would say to them that whatever ideas that they have, do not second guess it, because there is always a unique touch with each individual person. A lot of people tend to look around and say, ‘Oh, somebody’s already doing it’, not realising that their gifts come out in a different way, and they have something unique to offer. So don’t stop, don’t lean into the doubt. Lean into the push and then prove it in action.”
